It seems so simple doesn’t it? For years we’ve been putting the disc into the console, hitting a button and listening to the all too familiar whirring as the game loads up. That’s it, as simple as it gets really. However, seemingly as long as the next generation Xbox has been rumoured, this simplicity has seemingly been under threat.

Microsoft’s next generation Xbox (known as Durango, or perhaps Fusion) has been rumored to require an internet connection to not only play online, but to play games. Period. Not so says Ars Technica.

“Durango is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today’s Internet. There are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and those should ‘just work’ regardless of their current connection status. Those include, but are not limited to: playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and yes playing a single player game.”

Now, this rumor isn’t confirmed by any stretch of the imagination, but allegedly this note was passed to all full time members working on the new Xbox Durango. It brings several other things to light.

Firstly, you’ll notice that “watching live TV” is noted. This is another familiar rumor surrounding the Xbox Durango, and means the system would have a HDMI Input. You would then hook your set-top cable box to the Xbox, and then it would be able to provide live TV listings and more. I’m not sure how this will function in reality, as in the UK at least; our cable and satellite boxes already provide all of this. Microsoft are supposedly going to be offering TV shows too – such as the rumor of a rebirth of the popular Heroes TV show.

Next – how ‘free’ is this ‘just work’. For instance, will it be similar to the Xbox 360/Playstation 3. In other words, Online is an extra, and you just pop the disc in and play. Or more like the PC’s Steam and Origin. You put the disc in, register the game first to your account, THEN you can play offline. But you’d still need the internet for the initial sign up.

It’s worth noting that the system will contain a Blu-Ray drive, but honestly, I don’t think any of us expected a DVD or a HD-DVD drive in the system, did we? It’s not feasible in today’s climate. Games take up far too much data, and Metal Gear Solid: Legacy Collection isn’t coming to the Xbox 360 because of the disc size. Hideo Kojima confirmed this – most likely because the pack contains MGS4.

We’ll have to see what happens though, the Xbox press conference is going to happen on the 21st of May, so about 2 weeks from now. Of course, check out our Youtube and website and we’ll keep you up to date with all of the latest on Microsoft’s new system. And how Durango will compare to the next generation playstation 4.

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